Bird Album
Crested Goshawk
Lophospiza trivirgata (Temminck, 1824)
65–85 cmWingspan
It has a gray head, a white throat with black streaks and a short crest, and can also live in cities.
Busiest months: February–March and October · Most records: China, Thailand, Malaysia
Looks like Besra, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Jerdon's Baza
How to identify
Field marks
- White throat with black streaks
- Short black crest on head, raised only when agitated
- Underparts pale, with rufous streaks on breast and rufous barring on belly
- Undertail-coverts white and fluffy; tail has alternating black and pale barring
Male, female and young
Female larger, more rufous-brown, with coarser breast and belly markings; male has a darker gray face, a blacker crown and finer markings.
Voice
Sometimes gives “he, he, hehehehe” shrieks in the breeding season, rising at the end.
Similar species
Besra is smaller, with a rounded head lacking a crest and more slender legs and feet; bands on outer tail feathers do not join in flight.
Eurasian Sparrowhawk lacks the central throat stripe, has grayer upperparts and more even stripes on underparts.
Jerdon's Baza has a longer crest, larger wings and a distinctly different wing shape in flight.
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: February–March and October · Most records: China, Thailand, Malaysia
Crested Goshawk has been recorded at 1,097 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 16 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Taipei – Taipei Botanical GardenTaiwan (China)1,547 records
- Taipei – Da'an Forest ParkTaiwan (China)1,287 records
- Kenting NP – Sheding Lingxiao Pavilion (Raptors Observation Spot)Taiwan (China)1,270 records
More places
- Taipei – National Taiwan University Main CampusTaiwan (China)967 records
- Taipei – Tianliaoyang WetlandTaiwan (China)932 records
- Yilan – Dingliao Ecological ParkTaiwan (China)655 records
- Pasir Ris ParkSingapore617 records
- Nantou – Jiji Endemic Species Research InstituteTaiwan (China)458 records
- Thattekad Bird Sanctuary – UrulanthanniIndia446 records
- Tai Po Kau Nature ReserveHong Kong (China)430 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The crested goshawk (Lophospiza trivirgata) is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae that is widely distributed in tropical Asia. It was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
Where does the Crested Goshawk live?
Its breeding range: Oriental: widespread. It is most often recorded in China, Thailand and Malaysia.
When is the best time to see the Crested Goshawk?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February, March and October (Northern Hemisphere).
What family is the Crested Goshawk in?
It belongs to the family Kites, Hawks, Eagles (Accipitridae), order Accipitriformes.
At a glance
- Wingspan
- 65–85 cm
Range
Oriental: widespread
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Subspecies · 2
- Lophospiza trivirgata indica ne India to s China, Indochina and the Malay Pen.
- Lophospiza trivirgata formosae Taiwan (China)
Classification
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Kites, Hawks, Eagles Accipitridae
- Genus
- Lophospiza
Other birds in the genus Lophospiza
Sulawesi GoshawkLophospiza griseiceps
Pearl KiteGampsonyx swainsonii
Scissor-tailed KiteChelictinia riocourii
White-tailed KiteElanus leucurus
Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
Black-shouldered KiteElanus axillaris
Letter-winged KiteElanus scriptus
African Harrier-HawkPolyboroides typus
Madagascar Harrier-HawkPolyboroides radiatus
Palm-nut VultureGypohierax angolensis
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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Swardeepak. ↗
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